Station-indicator.



No. 636,393. Patented Nov. 7, |899.

W. M. VAUGHAN. sTATlun mmcATon'.

(Application ld Dec. 6, 1897..)

(No Model.)

/NVENoR m14/ 7/ WITNESSES NrrnD STATES PATENT Fries.

WATKINS M. VAUGHAN, vOF SELMA, ALABAMA.

STATIONPINDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 636,393, dated November 7, 1899. Appnoaion inea December 6,1397. sena No. 660,929. on model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that LWATKINS M. VAUGHAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Selma, in the county of Dallas and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Station-Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in station-indicators of that class in which the .nameof the next succeeding station is caused to appear and become displayed to the passengers in a railway-car; and one object of my invention is to provide means for automatically operating the said station-indicator and means whereby its operation may be reversed on the return trip; and a further object of my invention is to provide devices whereby lthe correct and successful operation of the station-indicator may be secured.

To these ends my invention consists in the peculiar construction and combination of devices, that will be more fully set forth herea suitable height above the track. A rod h is supported in the said sleeve and is adapted to move vertically therein, the lower end of the said rod being supported in a stirrup or strap d, which extends downward from the sleeve d and which has at its upper side an arm e, which extends inwardly a suitable distance at right angles to the railway-track.

Secured on the rod h, near the lower end thereof, is a cam f, which is normally engaged by a similar cam g, which is formed on a leverh, the said lever being pivoted on that portion of the lower end of the rod b which is held between the upper and lower portions of the stirrup or strap. The said lever is capable of circular motion independently of the rod, but when moved in either direction from its normal position will cause its cam g, which 'engages the cam f, to move the rod vertically a slight distance, corresponding to the height of the cam, as will be readily understood.

Coiled springs t' lo, which are arranged on the rod above the cam f and below the cam g, respectively serve to normally retain the -rod and lever in the position shown, with the rod at the lower limit of its movement, and a spring l, which is attached to the arm e of the stirrup or strap and to the lever h, serves to retain the latter normally in its initial position at right angles to the railway-track.

The upper portion of the vertically-movable rod h is arranged in guides m on the back of the box or case n, which contines the station-indicator and its operating mechanism, and the said rod has a tappet projection o.

The names of the stations on the road are inscribed in regular order on an endless band or apron p, mounted on shafts r, which are journaled in the upper and lower sides of the case or box, and said shafts are provided with pulleys s atV one end and with a connecting-band t, which compel the shafts when they rotate to move in unison. An opening u is in the face of the box or case, through which opening the names of the stations in regular succession will appear when the train is in motion.

A shaft U is mounted. in suitable journals and is arranged in the box or case 'n and is provided at one end with a tappet-wheel w and is also provided with sprocket-Wheels no, (one or more,) which engage sprocket-openings made in the endless station-indicating belt or apron.

A lever y is arranged on the box or case in the path of the tappet projection 0 and is normally retained in the position shown by a spring c'. A tappet-pin z projects from the lever y and is secured in a slot b' in the lever y at either end of said slot by a thumb-nut d. Said tappet-pin is adapted to successively engage the teeth of the tappet-wheel w when the rod b descends, and thereby cause the 'said tappeti-wheel to partly rotate, and hence move the endless indicator belt or apron a sufficient distance to cause the next name of a station thereon to appear before the opening in the box or case. The free end of the IOO lever y plays in a guide d', and the movement of the said lever is adjustably controlled by adjusting-screws e. By means of the slot b the tappet-pin maybe moved on the lever and caused to engage either side of the tappetwheel, thereby reversing the movement of the station-indicating mechanism when the train is making the return trip. The tappet 0 is adjustable on the rod b and is adapted to be set at any adjustment by means of a setscrew o or othersuitable device, thereby regulating the throw of the lever y, as will be readily understood.

The tappet z comprises, essentially, a bolt l, beveled on one side at its projecting end, as at 2, Fig. 4, and carried in a hollow tubular shank 3 of the tappet. A coiled spring 4, seated in said tubular shank, bears against the inner end of the bolt and keeps it normally extended, the play of the bolt being limited by a transverse pin 5, which works in a slot 6 in the tubular shank. This construction of the tappet causes the tappet-wheel to be rotated continuously in one direction when the mechanism is in motion, as will be understood.

Midway between the rails of the track and at each station thereon is a tappet-stud f', with which the lever 7L successively engages as the train proceeds, thereby automatically operating the rod ZJ and through the said rod communicating motion to the station-indicating mechanism, to the end that the names of the stations in regular order are successively displayed.

It will be observed that the upward movement of the rod b, which is caused by the tappet-stud and lever h, and which upward movement is necessarily somewhat violent, as it is caused by the motion of the train, is not communicated to the station-indicating mechanism and the latter is entirely unaected thereby, but that the downward movement of the said rod, which occurs after the lever h has passed the tappet-stud, and which downward movement of said rod is caused partly by its own weight and partly by the action of the springs t' 7a and is not violent or jerky, is communicated to the station-indicating mechanism, is entirely under control, and is not liable to subject the station-indicating mechanism to severe strains or to injure or disarrange it.

I do not desire to limit myself to the precise construction and arrangement of devices herein shown and described, as it is evident that modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, I Claiml. In a station-indicator, the combination with the indicating mechanism having the tappet-wheel, thelever y having the slot b, the tappet-pin z adjustable in said slot, and the set-screw therefor,*substantially as described.

2. In a station-indicator, the combination with the indicating mechanism, of the vertical supporting tube or sleeve a, having the stirrup d at its depending end, the actuatingrod b, movable vertically in said tube or sleeve, and having the cam f; the spring t' bearing downward ou said cam, the operating-lever pivoted on said rod b and having the cam g engaging said cam f, the spring lo bearing under said lever, and the spring e to restore the said lever to its normal position, substantially as described.

IIn testimony that I claim the foregoing I hereunto append my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

VATKINS M. VAUGHAN. 

